NFL players who could be cut before free agency

Beasley led the league with 15.5 sacks in 2016, but he's been a massive bust since he got paid. He has only five sacks in each of the last two seasons and has a $12.8 million cap hit in the last year of his contract.

Bortles is as good as gone, with Jacksonville's No. 1 priority being addressing the quarterback position this offseason. Jacksonville signed Bortles to an extension last offseason but would save $11 million by cutting him before June.

Chancellor's playing career is all but over due to a neck injury. The four-time Pro Bowler didn't take the field last season, and the Seahawks will see a significant cap savings by cutting him.

Collins is one of Cleveland's highest-paid players, but his performance recently hasn't backed up that pay. He played only six games in 2017 and had just four sacks in 16 games last season. General manager John Dorsey didn't sign Collins and could look to save money.

Crabtree was a relative disappointment in his first season with Baltimore and is set for a $2.5 million bonus if the Ravens keep him around. With sub-700 yards receiving in consecutive seasons, Crabtree isn't worth his contract any longer.

Dareus is an outstanding run stopper, but the former Bill is getting paid like an elite player after signing a six-year contract with $60 million guaranteed in 2015. The Jaguars would save more than $10 million in 2019 by cutting him.

Pittsburgh needs to add more talent on defense, but the Steelers might not be able to afford Dupree's fifth-year option. The former first-round pick would make over $9 million next season despite recording a total of 20 sacks in four seasons.

Houston has been an excellent pass rusher for a long time with Kansas City, but he's struggled to stay healthy since signing a lucrative contract extension. With two years remaining on his contract, the Chiefs would probably prefer to renegotiate the deal but could cut Houston and save $14 million in 2019.

Jackson wanted out of Tampa Bay late in the 2018 season, and it remains to be seen if his stance has changed after the team hired Bruce Arians. The speedy wideout has only one year remaining on his contract and could be cut if the Bucs can't find a trade partner.

Jackson garnered a huge deal with the Jags in 2016. Since then he's helped build one of the better defenses in the league, but he's only a part-time player with a $13 million base salary next season.

Philadelphia has some major cap considerations this offseason with Jernigan set to make $11 million next season. He played only three games last season, so the Eagles will most likely opt to go cheaper at the spot.

Keenum is as good as gone after the Broncos acquired Joe Flacco via trade from the Ravens. He signed a two-year deal with Denver last offseason, but the Broncos can still save $11 million by cutting Keenum.

Cincinnati is having trouble finding a new defensive coordinator, partially due to their lack of talent. Kirkpatrick was one of the culprits in what was a terrible defense last season and is far too expensive to keep at age 30 next season at a salary of more than $9 million.

McCoy would be a tough blow to take for Bucs fans, but he's making elite defensive tackle money despite a drop off in performance during 2018. Tampa Bay can save $13 million by cutting McCoy.

McCoy was nothing short of terrible in 2018, though it's unclear if that was due more to his decline or a poor supporting cast in Buffalo. Regardless, his 3.2 yards per carry was unacceptable, and Buffalo can save more than $6 million by moving on from him.

Parker has been one of the most frustrating players in the league since he was drafted 14th overall in 2015. The wideout has shown flashes of brilliance but probably not enough to be worth the $9-plus million he's owed in 2019.

Penn is just one year removed from a Pro Bowl appearance, but he played only four games last season due to injury. The Raiders are clearly trying to get younger, so a trade or release is likely in Penn's future.

Perry had 11 sacks in 2016, but he's gone downhill over the last two years. Last season he had just 1.5 sacks in nine games played, so the Packers could cut him to save money.

Traded from the Rams to Miami last offseason, Quinn had only 6.5 sacks despite a full year of health for the Dolphins. Miami is set for a huge monetary savings by cutting Quinn in the final year of his deal.

The oft-injured Reed was productive in 13 games last season, but Washington has some huge cap issues as it looks for a quarterback replacement for the injured Alex Smith. Cutting Reed would save Washington more than $6 million against the cap.

Baltimore performed well without Smith early last season when he was suspended. That could be proof of concept in cutting Smith heading into the last year of his contract. The Ravens would be set to save more than $9 million.

Smith has been a massive free agent bust since signing with the 49ers two years ago. He missed all of 2017 to injury and had only 35 tackles in 12 games last season. Smith could struggle to garner interest if he is cut at age 30.

Kansas City's safety play was poor last season, and while that wasn't all Sorensen's fault, he did have his share of struggles in coverage after returning from an early-season leg injury. The cap-strapped Chiefs would save more than $2 million by cutting him and have some youngsters they like at the position.

Miami is set to move on from Tannehill at quarterback after also firing head coach Adam Gase. The former first-round pick is set to make more than $18 million next season, but the Dolphins would save more than $13 million against the cap by cutting him.